Red Mountain Pass
Driving this high mountain pass is not for the faint of heart. However, if you brave the steep drop-offs and disturbing lack of guardrails, you will be treated to one of the most amazing scenic drives in Colorado. From Ouray you start out in mixed-conifer woodland, head up into spruce-fir, and top out in willow carrs just below treeline. A good variety of montane passerines can be seen, and Black Swifts are often spotted flying overhead. Be careful when parking off the road here; shoulders are narrow to non-existent, and parking spots are few and far between.
Restrictions: Be careful when parking off the road; stay out of the way of traffic
County: San Juan
Directions: From Silverton travel north on US 550 to the pass, where there is parking on the west side.
Alternate Directions: Red Mountain Pass is at the high point of US550, 13 miles south of Ouray, and 10 miles north of Silverton.
Habitat: Cliff Face, Spruce-Fir Forest, Streamside Willow
Dates of Access: Open all year
Hours: Any
Ownership: US Forest Service
Admission or Fees: Free
Parking: Roadside
Lodging: None
Handicapped: No
Handicapped Access: None
Delorme: 76 A4
ROC: 115 D4
Latitude: 37.898854
Longitude: -107.711967
Additional Resources
Learn more about birds reported at this location at eBird:
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L3739927